


Something New and Different

by PattRose



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Happy Ending, M/M, New Friendships, Sappy, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 21:43:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/918359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim and Blair decide to become friends with two men in another department who are gay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something New and Different

Something New and Different   
By PattRose

Word was spreading through the precinct about a gay couple in robbery. People couldn’t believe that Detective John Mason and Detective Sean Miles were a couple. Some refused to believe it because they were two of the toughest cops on the force.

Blair had heard the rumors and wondered how he could get Jim to agree to ask them over to the loft for dinner one night. He and Jim were out, but they had no gay friends in the department. This would be a perfect opportunity.

Jim looked over at Blair and said, “I need to go up and give this paperwork to Miles in robbery. I’ll be back in a moment. Do the paperwork, please?” Jim gave Blair a big smile that he knew he couldn’t refuse.

“Hey Jim, while you’re up there why not ask Mason and Miles if they would like to have dinner with us this weekend.” Blair just decided to blurt it out and see what Jim thought of it.

“Chief, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Are you going to give me a reason?” Blair wanted to know that reason now.

“I’ll tell you on the way home. Now I need to get this paperwork up to robbery and we’ll talk about it later on. I’ll be right back, Chief.” Jim walked to the elevator and didn’t look back because he knew he would see the look of disappointment on Blair’s face and Jim hated that look. He couldn’t help it if he didn’t think making gay cop friends was a good idea. He would just have to explain to Blair and go from there.

While he was upstairs in Robbery, he heard some talk.

”I can’t believe we let those guys play cards with us on the weekend. I feel like I’m tainted now.”

Jim almost laughed when he heard that one, because the guy that said it was already tainted. He had a terrible reputation and yet he thought because Mason and Miles were gay there were tainted? What a crock.

Jim overhead the other man talking to the one that felt he was tainted. ”Do you believe they expect us to treat them like real cops now?”

Jim walked over to the two men and said, “Do you have a problem?”

They both looked over at him and just sneered. Gibson, the tainted man said, “Ellison, we have enough of your kind up here already we don’t need you up here too.”

“I’m really glad that I’m not like you are, that’s all I have to say and if I hear anything else I will report this to IA. Those two officers deserve nothing but respect as long as they are doing their jobs right. Now if you want to talk about doing a bad job, I can go to IA and tell them about all of the hookers you sleep with while you’re downtown, Gibson. You aren’t above anyone and what would your wife and children say?” Jim was on a roll now.

“Are you threatening me, Ellison? Because two can play at this game.” Gibson stood right in front of Jim and looked like he was about to spit at him.

“All I’m saying is, if the two men are doing their jobs, everyone should leave them alone. I’m sick and tired of hearing the whining. Grow up and get a real life.” Jim started to turn away and Gibson grabbed his arm.

“Ellison, if my wife finds out about anything at all I’m coming after you, do you understand?” Gibson was sweating now.

“I’m not telling your wife, but I will report you to IA and she’ll find out eventually. Grow the fuck up and let people live their lives the way they want to.”

Jim started walking away again and Gibson’s partner Roberts said, “They might put up with your kind in Major Crime, but don’t believe for a minute that people like it. Even ones that seem to be your friends don’t like it. You’ve given all of us a bad name.”

“Whatever, Roberts. Just stay the fuck out of my way and mind your own business or I will bring it up to IA.” Jim didn’t take off this time because he was waiting for one of them to say something.

“IA doesn’t like your kind either, Ellison. Just you wait and see.” Roberts and Gibson walked away from Jim and Jim just shook his head. He noticed all of the people watching them, and hoped that they didn’t all hear it. It wasn’t what Mason and Miles needed right now that was for sure.

Jim had to give the paperwork to Detective Miles, so he walked over to his desk and said, “I have the paperwork that you wanted, Miles.”

“Thank you, Ellison, for bringing it up so quickly. I could have come down for it, or you could have faxed it.” Miles couldn’t believe that Ellison had just taken on Roberts and Gibson.

Jim looked around and saw no one in hearing distance and said, “While I’m here, I wondered if you and Mason would like to come to our home for dinner on Saturday.”

Miles smiled and said, “We would love to. What time and where?”

Jim saw a post it on his desk and wrote the address and put 5:00 for the time. “Sandburg will be very pleased to have some new people over for dinner.”

“Thanks again, Ellison. We’ll see you on Saturday,” Miles answered.

Just before he left he asked, “Don’t you think you should ask Mason if he wants to come?”

“He was just talking about having the two of you over one of these nights, so I know he’ll be okay with this. Thank you again for asking. Now I need to get back to work before everyone notices I’m slacking off.” He smiled as he walked away from Jim.

Detective Sean Miles was the same size as Jim, height and weight, blond hair, blue eyes and his partner was about 5’ 10” tall, short brown hair and sparkling brown eyes. Miles and Mason were both 36 years old. They were the same type of odd couple that Jim and Blair were. Jim suddenly realized that this might work out after all. He did know that Blair was going to be pleased as all get out.

When Jim got off of the elevator and walked to his desk he was smiling and this threw Blair off guard.

Blair whispered, “All right, where is my partner and what have you done with him? Why the change in the attitude, man?”

“I asked Miles if they wanted to come for dinner on Saturday at 5:00, so I hope you’re ready to do some good cooking,” Jim teased making Blair break out into a huge grin.

“I’ll make whatever you want to, as long as we’ll have friends coming over that have something in common with us,” Blair explained.

“I didn’t realize it was such a big thing with you. You seem to like all of our friends,” Jim said in a hushed tone.

“Oh don’t get me wrong, I do like our friends but no matter how hard they try, they just won’t get the gay issue. It’s not their fault or ours for that matter. Just how life is.” Blair gave Jim a smile that spoke of things to come once they were alone. Jim was now sure he had done the right thing, not to mention that he was going to get anything he wanted once they were home. Jim wasn’t above being shallow.

They finished up all of the paperwork and left for the day. As they drove home, Blair asked, “Do you think Miles and Mason make a good couple?”

“Are you asking me if I think they look good together? Then yes, they do, but I have no idea if they’re good for each other because I don’t know them that well.” Jim looked over at his partner to see if he answered it correctly.

“That’s true, isn’t it? We’ll have to get to know them much better before we decide if they’re a good couple or not. What do you want to have for dinner that night?” Blair was very excited about having the two new men over.

“Whatever you decide to cook is good with me, Chief.”

“You’re so easy, man.”

“Robbery was talking about them when I went upstairs to give Miles the paperwork for the case we had been working on,” Jim finally admitted.

“Was it terrible?” Blair wondered aloud.

“Well, they don’t like them anymore, that’s for sure. And it’s too bad because they’re both good cops.” Jim felt slightly protective over their two new friends and didn’t even know why.

“Do you hear a lot of bad things about us, man?” Blair suddenly realized that he had never asked Jim this before.

Jim thought a moment and said, “Oh yeah. Some of the guys in the precinct really hate our kind. But then we have some solid support groups in each department. So it sort of evens it out.”

“Do you think they would not give us back-up?” Blair sounded worried.

Again, Jim thought a moment and answered, “I think we’ll always have back-up because they know we’re good cops no matter what. But we’ve never been in that situation yet. We’ve always had friends covering our backs. I guess we should start telling them to back off a little and let the rest of the world do their thing.”

“Enough serious talk, Jim. Let’s talk food. What do you really feel like having?” Blair asked almost bouncing in his seat.

“Okay, I said I didn’t care, but I would love you to make lasagna and I’ll make the homemade cheesecake. How does that sound?” Jim asked.

“Perfect. We’ll go to the store tonight so we don’t have to worry about messing with it in the next couple of days. I’m really excited about this, man. Thank you for asking them over.”

“You’re welcome. I shouldn’t have been so stubborn to begin with. Sometimes I don’t know how you put up with me.” Jim reached over and squeezed Blair’s hand.

“Believe me, it ain’t easy,” Blair teased.

Jim smacked him softly on the back of the head and began to laugh.

They talked some more and stopped at the store to get all of the things they needed for Saturday. Both men were in very good moods and it looked like things might work out all right.

*

When they got home, they made an easy dinner, cleaned up and then took a shower together. Jim loved when they showered together. Usually there was no sex, they just let the other one clean each other everywhere. It was later, after the shower that things got to be fun.

They walked up the stairs naked and got into their big bed. Jim commenced the rimming he had been thinking about all day long and before long Blair was begging for release. Jim got the lube out and began to finger fuck his partner until Blair was nothing but a pile of goo. Jim then put Blair’s legs around his waist and moved into position. As he slowly entered he could feel Blair accepting more and more of him as quickly as the young man could. When the time was right, Jim began to fuck Blair in earnest. Each time that Jim hit Blair’s prostate, Jim could hear the change his lover’s heartbeat and Blair was throwing back his head in delight and calling out Jim’s name. Jim then began fisting Blair’s cock and that was all he wrote for Blair Sandburg. The young man howled out Jim’s name and came all over both of them. Jim pounded into Blair three more times and came as well. As he softened, he started to slide out. He grabbed his boxer’s and cleaned both of them off with them and then snuggled up to the love of his life.

“That was great, Chief.”

“Yeah, that’s the way I like it. Great.” Blair cuddled up beside Jim and started to fall asleep.

“I love you, Blair.”

“And I love you, Jim.”

Soft snores could be heard coming from the loft bedroom. This was what life was really supposed to be like. Happiness, love and devotion came in all different sizes, shapes, colors and genders.

*

“Sandburg, do you have the Nicolette file? I left it right here.” Jim was searching his desk like a mad man.

“It's right here, man. I just finished typing it into the computer and got the finished product all printed up for Simon. You can thank me later.” Blair said wiggling his eyebrows.

“Are you kidding me? I’m still exhausted from last night. I think I’m too old for you.” Jim acted as if he was serious, but Blair knew he was kidding.

“Oh all right, I’ll give you a night off to rest,” Blair retorted very quietly.

They worked a case over on Pine Street that Robbery-Homicide called them in on. They had asked Jim and Blair to come over and look at the crime scene and see if they could find anything the detectives missed.

When Jim and Blair arrived, they were happy to see Miles and Mason on the case.

Blair walked right up to them and said, “Detective Miles and Detective Mason, it’s very nice to meet you. My name is Detective Sandburg. We’ve never met, but I’ve heard good things about you.” Blair then took each of their hands and shook them. Both men were instantly relaxed. Blair had a way of doing that with people.

Jim walked up, smiling and said, “So what do we have here?”

Mason began to fill Jim and Blair in on the robbery-turned-homicide and left nothing out. He told them that there was no weapon on the premises, but they were fairly sure it was a small pistol.

“Do we have a list of the things missing yet?” Blair asked.

Mason answered, “Yes. Here is a copy for you.”

Blair and Jim looked over the copy and frowned. There was little taken from the cases. Only two necklaces out of an entire shop?

“Who did the inventory for you?” Jim asked.

“The daughter of the owner. She said that only two necklaces are missing and they aren’t new ones. They’re from an auction he went to last week. They’re both about 100 years old and we need to get an address for the auction house and a list of all of the people that were there that day. Maybe someone didn’t like the idea of Mr. Darren getting the final bid. Do you think it could be as easy as that?” Miles asked.

Blair walked over to the daughter of the victim and sat down next to her. “I’m truly sorry for your loss, Ms. Darren. We need your help. We think the auction might have something to do with this, so could you tell us where the auction house is? Anything else you can tell us could only help.”

She stood up and got a card for him that had the auction house name and address on it. “I hope this helps in finding my father’s killer.”

Blair stood up to take the card and said, “Thank you very much, Ms. Darren. We’ll let you know as soon as we know anything on the case. Again, I’m sorry for your loss.” He then walked slowly away, not knowing what else to say to her.

Blair joined the other three detectives and handed Miles the business card. “Ms. Darren had this and thought it would help. This is where he got the jewelry. Maybe it’s someone that wanted it more but didn’t have enough to go higher. Although that seems pretty foolish, don’t you think?” Blair wondered. 

“What if it is a family heirloom and they didn’t want it sold, but didn’t have a choice in the matter. If that were the case, then we need to check with the auction house and see where the jewelry came from. What do you think of that idea?” Mason asked.

“I like it better than mine, it makes more sense,” Blair said.

Miles started walking towards the door and said, “How about if we find out where everything is and we can meet up with you two then?”

Jim figured they could be of more help than that. “Give us something to do if you want us in on this case.”

“Okay, how about we all go back to the station house and we start making some calls. Sandburg can call the auction house and talk to the person in charge. We can get the paperwork started and let Homicide know what’s going on so they can get into this too. They were already at the crime scene, but will want to know what we’ve found out.” Miles liked the idea of him making the decisions and being somewhat in charge.

Blair was raring to go. “I’ll get right on it as soon as we get to Major Crime. I’ll find out who the jewelry belonged to in the first place and we can start there. So Ellison, do you want to leave now?” Blair truly was ready for this mystery.

Jim looked at his watch and saw it was almost lunch time and said, “Sure, we’ll meet up for a late lunch at the diner across the street from the station. It’ll probably be around 3:00 or so. Does this work for the rest of you?”

“Works for us, if we find ourselves running behind, we’ll call you and let you know we’ll have to move it back some,” Miles said.

“Okay, we’re going to start at the station house, so we’ll see you at 3:00 unless something else comes up,” Blair said as he walked towards Jim’s SUV.

In the SUV on the way back to the station, Blair finally broke the silence and asked, “So what did you think about working with Miles and Mason?”

“Well, it wasn’t much to go on, Chief. We just started this investigation, but so far they seem to have everything under control. I liked that they didn’t ask me to go over every single thing at the crime scene because you know damn well that everyone knows I really am a Sentinel. No one believed the crap you had to tell to get me out of the spot light. I hear them talking and they all know.” Jim wasn’t going to ever tell Blair, but decided today he probably should.

“Well, that’s cool then. They just wanted our opinions because we’re a good team, not because we’re Sentinel and Guide. I’m down with that,” Blair joked easily.

“I hope they didn’t ask us for another reason,” Jim said thoughtfully.

Blair looked over at Jim and asked, “And what reason would that be?”

“I hope they didn’t ask us because we’re another gay couple and they just wanted someone they had something in common with.” Jim hoped that this wasn’t the reason because that wouldn’t ever be a good enough reason to him.

“Man, I don’t think that’s the reason at all. They’re too good at their jobs to call us in for that. Relax, big guy, they’re asking us because they might need some help. Homicide is probably breathing down their necks also,” Blair explained.

Jim nodded in agreement and stated, “I agree. I like your reason much better.”

When they drove up into the station house parking lot, they parked and walked to the elevator. Both men were quiet all the way up to Major Crimes. They both knew that this one might get ugly and they had to find out everything they needed ahead of time.

Blair got right on the phone to the auction house and talked to a Mr. Sanders. Mr. Sanders told him they could come by for a list of all of the bidders of the evening anytime. He also told Blair who the auction was for. Blair wrote everything down and called information for some numbers. He got Mr. Williams’ number and called him right away. He talked to Mr. Williams’ daughter and found out an address and made an appointment for that afternoon at 5:00.

Blair looked at his watch and saw that it was already 2:00, so he joined Jim over at his desk and said, “I’ve got some info, but I figured we could join Miles and Mason for lunch and talk to them about it. Sound good to you?”

“Let me call them really fast and tell them we’ll meet them now.” Jim picked up his phone and called right to Robbery and asked for Mason.

“Detective Mason, may I help you?”

“Mason, its Ellison and we wanted to know if you would like to join us for lunch right now so we can go over what we have so far. Are you able to get away?”

“I’ll get Miles and we’ll meet you both over there in about ten minutes. We don’t have much to go on, so hopefully Sandburg found out more than we did.”

“We’ll discuss it with you when you get there. See you in about ten minutes. Goodbye.” Jim hung up the phone and said, “Okay. Chief, we’re on in ten minutes. Do I get to hear any of this before you tell them?”

Blair almost whispered as he told him everything he had learned so far. Jim nodded at all of the right parts. When he was done telling him, Blair said, “We’d better get over there and tell our new partners.”

Jim told Simon where they were going and they got in the elevator. “Have you ever noticed how much time we spend in the friggin' elevator?” Blair asked.

Jim laughed and answered, “We do spend too much time in here. From now on we’re taking the stairs.”

They exited the elevator and walked across the street to the diner. Mason and Miles were already in a booth waiting for them. Jim and Blair sat down opposite them and Blair said, “Let’s order lunch first before we start discussing everything.”

They did just that. All four men ordered lunch and waited for it to be brought to them before they got down to business. As soon as the food arrived a bit later, Mason said, “Okay, you have our attention. What do you have to tell us?”

Blair began by saying, “I called the auction house owner, by the name of Mr. Bill Sanders. I told him that the necklaces had been stolen and he said he would gladly give us the list of all of the bidders, but he said there were only two legitimate bidders during the entire auction. All of the items were being sold by a Mr. Brad Williams and his family. He said there was bad blood in the family because a sister of his didn’t want to sell any of the items that were up for auction. Her name is Denise Williams and he said he had her phone number in his office if we needed it. Then I called Mr. Williams’ house and made an appointment for 5:00 to see him about the items and what he could tell us. It might be fairly simple. Maybe someone didn’t want the items to be sold and to leave the family. So it’s going to be up to the four of us to figure out who the killer is and why.”

“Wow, this is good news. Homicide had nothing for us and was pissed off with the two of us because we didn’t have anything tangible yet. Good work, Sandburg,” Miles said softly.

“Thanks, but we’ll have a lot of work to do yet. So, I figure we can get the list of members and the numbers from Mr. Sanders, make that appointment at 5:00 and go from there. Does this work for everyone?” Blair asked.

Jim had never been so proud of him before. He was just taking charge and doing a bang-up job. With any luck, he might be able to pick up something with his senses, but he might not need them after all. Blair was doing a fine job all by himself.

The four men talked about different things that could or couldn’t happen in the next few hours and finished their lunch. When they were done Miles and Mason followed Jim and Blair over to the auction house to see Mr. Sanders.

When they drove up, Jim said, “I think it would be good if just one of us did the talking. Sandburg’s doing a fine job, so why not just let him finish this up?”

Miles said, “Sounds good to me too.”

And Mason added, “I’m just along for the ride for right now. I can’t wait until we get to the part where we have to figure out who did it.”

They all walked in and Blair asked for Mr. Sanders, showing his badge as he asked. The young girl at the desk went quickly to find her boss and he walked into the room carrying papers and smiling.

“My niece, Julie, was worried when you said you needed to ask me questions. I forgot to tell her you were coming. You must be Detective Sandburg whom I spoke to on the phone.” Both men shook hands.

“It’s good to meet you sir,” Blair responded.

“Well, here is everything you will need. Here are the names and addresses of everyone at the auction house that night, but at the very bottom you will find the names of the two highest bidders, the winner and the one that missed it by $2,000.00. Then here are the numbers of the person that sold the items and his family members’ names and addresses. You might find some of them quite interesting. I hope this is all you’ll need.”

Blair shook his hand again and said, “Do you mind if we come back if we have more questions about the auction itself?”

“Feel free to come back at any time; I’m here from 10:00 until midnight every day of the week. Just call ahead so Julie can let me know you’re coming in.”

“Okay, we have an appointment to keep right now, so we’ll be back with further questions if the need arises. Thank you for all of your help.” Blair backed away and turned and left the room. The other three detectives did the same thing almost smiling at how well Blair had handled that.

“We’ll follow you over to the Williams’ house,” Miles said as he got into his truck.

Jim and Blair got into the SUV and Jim said, “Chief, you did a really good job. And asking if we could come back was a great idea because you never know if we need more from anyone. I was really proud of you.”

“I have to tell you, this is our first big case since I’ve become a cop and I’m grateful for you letting me just take the reins. If you notice something at any of these interviews, please help me out, okay?” Blair looked over at his partner and smiled.

“You know I will,” Jim replied and they drove in silence all the way over there.

*

**In Miles’ truck**

“So what do you think of the case so far, Sean?”

Sean smiled at him and said, “Well, I think that Sandburg is doing a good job of setting everything up, but you never know how easy it’s going to be until the last minute. Hopefully, we’ll find something interesting at this interview and we can make some arrests. But it might not be him or his family. What if it’s the bidder that lost out on the necklaces? We just have to talk to everyone and figure it out.”

John looked over at Sean and finally asked, “So what do you think about working with Sandburg and Ellison?”

“I think they’re good cops and I get along with them well. Why?” Sean asked.

“This is the first time in months that a set of detectives has treated us well. It’s a shame, but it’s true. I really like the feeling of being asked about a case and not having some crap said to us. Maybe we should transfer to another department, what do you think?” John asked.

“A new department won’t make it any better. We’re just not lucky enough to have any friends in our department but that doesn’t mean we won’t in the future. Not everyone is bad, John.”

“Yeah, I know, but don’t you get tired of being on the end of all of these jokes daily?” John wondered aloud.

“Yes, in my ideal world things would be changed, but we’re in the real world. Ellison and Sandburg are taking shit daily too. I’ve heard some of the things said and some of the rumors, so it’s not any better where they are either. It’s hard being a gay cop. You knew this when we decided to come out. Right?” Sean asked.

“Yeah, I knew but I was hoping that someone would be on our side with us. Those guys we work with were our friends, Sean.”

“Let’s change the subject. Would you remind me to ask Sandburg or Ellison if there is anything we can bring this weekend to dinner?” Sean was very excited about going to someone’s home where they would be safe and comfortable.

“Yeah, we need to ask. I’m looking forward to it too. It’ll be nice to have friends on the force. I hope it works out,” John said cautiously.

“Looks like we’re here.” Miles pulled up behind Jim’s SUV and stopped the truck.

They followed the two men up to the house and as they walked, Jim said, “If it’s all right with the three of you, I thought I might ask some questions and we’ll just keep it limited to me and not all four of us.”

“Works for me, Ellison,” Miles said and then Mason agreed. Blair looked over at Jim and said, “It works for me too.”

“Okay, here we are. I’m up.” Jim knocked on the door and heard the people inside wondering who it could be bothering them at dinnertime. The door was opened by a woman and Jim said, “Denise Williams?”

“Yes, may I ask who you all are?” She was being quite snobby and Jim couldn’t wait to get this over with.

“I’m Detective Ellison and these are Detectives Sandburg, Mason and Miles. We’re here to ask questions about the two necklaces that were put up on auction. Could we come in?” Jim asked quickly.

“Let me get my brother, Brad, who put them in the auction. You’ll probably need to talk to him. Were they stolen?” Denise asked offhandedly.

“Yes, they were stolen and the owner was killed when he tried to stop the thief.” Jim said.

“Let me get Brad.” She walked out of the room and they all stood there waiting until a very large man walked into the room.

“I’m Brad Williams. What is this about a murder?”

“Mr. Williams, I’m Detective Ellison and these are Detective’s Sandburg, Miles and Mason. I need to ask you some questions.”

Mr. Williams pointed toward the sofa and chairs and said, “Please sit down. Be comfortable.”

Jim listened to his heart rate and it was normal. This man didn’t seem to have anything to hide.

“Sir, did you see the necklaces after you put them into the auction?” Jim asked.

“Just when I saw them on the bidding block, after that, no.”

“Can you think of anyone that would want those two necklaces bad enough to take them from someone else?” Jim continued.

“No, I honestly can’t. My sister, Denise, didn’t want them to be auctioned off, but we all needed the money for different things, so decided to do it at the last minute. They went for top dollar. We got more than we were expecting to get.” Mr. Williams said.

“And do you think your sister would have had any reason to want them back?” Jim watched the man’s face and saw a cloud come over it.

“Surely you can’t think its Denise? She’s a very gentle woman and the only reason she wanted to keep them was because they were our grandmother’s and she was one of grandmother’s favorites.”

“We have to ask all of the questions, sir. Do you think she could have had anything to do with it?”

“No,” Mr. William finally said seriously. “Let me get my sister so you can ask her yourself.”

He walked out and Jim heard a heartbeat speeding up like crazy. He figured it was Denise Williams’. “You have some questions for me?” Denise asked nervously.

All three of the other detectives noticed the nervous behavior also.

“Would you have had any reason to try and take back the necklaces from the winning bidder?” Jim asked casually.

“No, of course not.” Her heart rate was getting faster and faster.

“Have you ever been to 329 W. Palmer Ave before?” Jim asked.

“No, I’ve never been to the winner’s store.” Denise didn’t even notice that she had just messed up.

All four detectives knew that they had the person they needed. Jim continued with the interrogation. “I never said it was the winner’s store. I didn’t say anything about the winner.”

“Well, I just took it for granted. I mean the winner must have taken it to his store, right?”

“How did you know he had a store?” Jim wasn’t sure how to get it out of her.

“I didn’t. I was just guessing. I mean, who else would buy those necklaces for so much money?”

“It could have been anyone that wanted it for personal use.” Jim was thinking of a way to get her to say something. “You didn’t want the necklaces to be in the auction, am I right?”

“They were mine. My grandmother and I used to play dress-up with them all the time. They should have stayed in the family. But in the end I had to give in and let them go because we all needed extra cash. We knew the necklaces would bring in good money. We just didn’t know how much.” Denise was very nervous and was fidgeting.

“Did you try and bid. I heard there was another bidder.”

“No, I wanted to, but Mr. Darren just started too high. I didn’t have that kind of money. There was nothing I could do. My grandmother forgot to leave me the jewelry in her will, so it belonged to all of us. I had no control over it.”

“Did you want it back, Ms. Williams?” Jim decided to just ask.

“Well, of course I did. But I couldn’t have went to his shop and killed him for it. I was home all night long.”

The woman had made another mistake in her nervousness.

“We didn’t say when it was. And we’ll need to know where you were between midnight and three a.m.” Jim needed to hear where she was.

“I was here,” Denise answered quickly.

Mr. Williams stood up and said, “Denise, you left the house at midnight to go get something to eat. I heard you leave and tell the butler.”

“You know, Brad, if you didn’t have a butler, we wouldn’t have had to sell off the jewelry. They could have stayed in the family.”

“Ms. Williams, we need to get back on track. Did you leave at midnight and what time did you get back? Where were you?” Jim asked very softly.

She was silent for a moment as her world started to fall apart. She herself was falling apart along with it.

“I couldn’t let that man have them. He was going to sell them in his store. Do you believe it? They were family heirlooms and he had them in with the trash he was selling. I couldn’t let it go.” Denise sat down hard on the footstool by Blair’s chair.

Blair got up and read her, her rights. He handcuffed her gently as Miles called for a black and white to pick her up.

“I had to do it, Brad,” Denise begged her brother to understand.

“Denise don’t say anything more. I’ll get you a lawyer.”

Mason was calling for a search warrant for the necklaces. Then he called Homicide and told them what had happened. They said they would bring the search warrant and meet Mason and Miles there in a half-hour.

“Ms. Williams, do you want to tell us where the necklaces are?” Jim asked gently. He knew this woman was ready to crack.

Brad jumped in and said, “She’s not saying a word.”

“Brad, what difference does it make? They’re upstairs in my dresser along with the gun. I didn’t mean to shoot him, you know. He just came in and started ranting and the gun went off. I hurried and got the necklaces and left.”

Jim knew that it would be better to wait for the search warrant, so he and the others stayed there to wait for Homicide who would take over the case. When homicide got there, Blair handed them all of their notes and they talked awhile. The lead officer showed the warrant to Mr. Williams and went upstairs to Denise’s room to get everything they would need.

Ellison, Sandburg, Miles and Mason signed over the case to Homicide and they walked out the door. They knew that they probably wouldn’t have to go back again.

They stood outdoors and Miles said, “Would you like to have dinner with us at our favorite restaurant?”

Jim looked over at Blair’s smile and said, “Sure that would be good after we get all of the paperwork done at the station. We can get it all taken care of tonight.”

“Late dinner it is,” Mason said with a laugh. “We’ll meet you at Major Crime after we get the paperwork done.”

“Works for us,” Blair said on his way to Jim’s SUV. They all drove back to the station.

*

Jim sat at his desk typing furiously while Blair did some other paperwork and Miles and Mason were upstairs getting their paperwork done. Then they could all go out to dinner.

Once everything was done and in the inbox in Simon’s office, Mason and Miles came downstairs. The four men headed for the elevator. Jim asked, “So where are we going?”

“It’s a place called Robinson’s Grill. The best barbecue in town,” Miles answered.

“I love barbecue,” Jim said smiling at Blair.

“I don’t care where we eat, I just want to eat. I’m starving,” Mason was grumpy.

“We’ll follow you over there,” Jim said as they headed for the SUV.

“We’ll be eating in no time at all, you wait and see.” Miles said as he jumped into his tall pickup. Mason had to pull himself up with the strap on the door frame to get in. It was a very tall truck.

On the way over to the restaurant, Mason asked Miles, “Do you suppose they have a lot of gay friends?”

“I have no idea; this will be the first time we’ve been out with another gay couple. This is a first for us; maybe it is for them too,” Miles answered.

“I hope they like us.”

“Mason, everyone likes you, it’s the being gay part they don’t like. But they like you,” Miles teased.

Do you think we have any friends left at the PD?” Mason honestly wanted to know.

“I don’t know. I think they would still give us back-up, but I think that we’ll never get asked over for cards again. And that’s too bad, because we gave them a lot of money every week,” Miles continued to tease, hoping that Mason wouldn’t get so serious.

Then Mason asked something he had wondered about since the beginning. “Do you think Ellison is a Sentinel?”

“Yes,” Miles said quickly and hoped that they could change the subject.

“I knew it. I just knew it. He’s odd enough for people to wonder all the time. But I like him, don’t get me wrong,” Mason said quickly.

“Good, I’m glad you like them. I think they like us too, so stop worrying so much.” The light turned red and Miles leaned in for a quick kiss before he had to drive again.

“I love when you kiss me out of nowhere.” Mason then held his hand.

“And I love when you hold my hand. It makes me feel protected and loved.” The taller and much larger man didn’t often admit to needing protection and love. He knew Mason would eat it up.

They drove up to the restaurant and both men smiled. “This is going to be a good night,” Mason said as he jumped down from the truck.

Jim and Blair walked up to the other two and Jim said, “So do you want us to call you by your last names while we’re out eating, or by your first names?”

Miles said, “I happen to like my name. Just call me Sean.”

Mason chimed in and said, “And you can call me John. I get a little tired of being called Mason all of the time.”

Blair was just about bouncing in place and added, “Just call us Jim and Blair.”

John said teasingly, “Which one of you is Jim?”

Blair almost fell for it and then he laughed and socked John in the arm on their way into the restaurant.

When they were seated in a booth, they looked over the menu and finally decided what each of them wanted. When the waitress came back, they all had their orders ready and got some iced tea. No one wanted to drink. They were all tired.

Sean said, “I just want to break the ice here and tell you that we’ve never had any gay friends before and we’re not even sure how to act.”

Blair laughed and said, “You’re acting just right. Don’t worry about it. We’ve never had any gay friends either. No, I take that back, we have one gay friend, but we don’t do anything with him so it doesn’t really count.”

John decided to ask some of the tougher questions. “Have you been hassled since you came out?”

Jim took a swig of his tea and then answered, “Yeah, we’ve had our share of ugly things said to us.”

Sean asked, “Do you think that we’re safe in the PD anymore, or if they wouldn’t give us backup?”

Blair was totally bummed out as he answered, “I think they would still give us back-up, they just wouldn’t like it. They might be assholes, but they aren’t animals.”

Jim said, “Enough of the serious talk. Let’s talk about better things. What do you guys do for fun anyhow?”

They all looked at each other and burst out laughing. “Besides that,” Jim said.

Sean said, “Well, we love the Jags games, football, poker, movies and art shows. We like a little bit of everything.”

Blair bubbled when he asked, “Have you heard about that new exhibit at the museum? The one with dinosaur bones?”

“We’re going on Sunday, it’s our day off and we were planning on seeing it. Are you guys off on Sunday?” John asked.

“I am, but Jim is working for Rafe. Would you mind if I tagged along? Jim, do you mind if I go with them?” Blair hoped that Jim didn’t mind.

“Go, it’ll be fun for you. I’ll just sit all day in the bullpen wondering how much fun you’re having.” Jim pouted and made everyone laugh. John and Sean hadn’t expected to see a teasing Jim Ellison.

“I’ve got a better idea,” Sean said. “How about we all wait until Jim finishes his shift on Sunday and then go? We could go see a movie or something first.”

John smiled and said, “What do you think of that, Jim?”

“I think it would be great if you waited for me. I did want to see it,” Jim said surprising his mate.

Sean smiled and said, “Then it’s settled. We’ll meet at your place on Sunday night and catch the tail end of the show.”

“That’s really nice of all of you.” Jim couldn’t get over how nice it was to have friends around. Blair had been right again.

Their dinners came and they all sat and talked, laughed, ate and talked some more. The evening flew by. When the check came, they all figured out how much it would be for each of them and split it up. Jim said, “Don’t forget about Saturday night at 5:00 at our place for dinner.”

“Oh we won’t forget. We’re both looking forward to it. Is there anything we could bring?”

“Bring yourselves and a good appetite. That’s all we can ask,” Blair teased.

“How about if we bring some good beer or wine?” Sean asked.

“If you bring wine or beer, bring some comfy clothes and you can stay over in the spare room. I don’t like drinking and driving,” Jim said very seriously.

“That would be great. I was just going to be the designated driver, but I like the idea of staying over instead. That way we can relax and have a really good time. Thank you, Jim and Blair. It’s been a very long time since anyone has been nice to us.” John was thrilled at how the evening was turning out.

“Well, we need to get home,” Jim said as he stood up.

“We do too. We’re really tired. Thanks for all of the help, Jim and Blair. Homicide was thrilled with all of us, and I hope we can work together again someday,” Sean said standing and joining the rest of the men.

They all walked out to the parking lot and everyone went their separate ways for the night.

*

Sean smiled over at John and asked, “So do you think it went as well as I think it went?”

“Oh yeah. They’re going to be great friends. They’re nice, funny and aren’t afraid of what people will say. It was really nice being around them tonight,” John replied.

“And just think, we have a whole weekend of things to do with friends. What a nice change of pace.,” Sean teased. “I really like them both a lot.”

“So do I. Thank you for agreeing to go along with everything I always plan,” John said.

“Not a problem. Let’s get home, you’re beginning to look like someone I want to jump right here in the truck,” Sean teased and drove a little faster.

*

“Do you think the night went well?” Blair asked Jim.

“It couldn’t have went any better if we tried. They’re really nice guys. I liked them both a lot.” Jim was happy that he had taken that chance earlier.

“I can’t wait for Saturday night. We’re going to have fun. Do you think we should play some poker or any other type of cards?” Blair wondered aloud.

“Let’s not worry about it right now, babe. Let’s wait and see what happens on Saturday. Don’t try so hard either because they really like you too,” Jim assured Blair.

Blair held Jim’s hand and said, “This weekend is going to be great, isn’t it? I can’t wait to see how it goes. I’m so glad that you took that extra step and decided that something new and different might be a good thing. Thank you. We needed some friends with some things in common. And now we’ll have them.”

“You’re welcome, Chief. This is going to work out just fine, you wait and see.”

Both men smiled at each other and knew that they were in for a good time and also knew that it was about time.

Something new and different is exactly what they both needed.

Life was good.

The end.


End file.
